I’ve been doing the “Punch in the Face List” for a little while now. Lots of people in the sporting world piss me off, so a little rant is a personal form of therapy for me. Hopefully you Rioters! get a laugh along the way. If you think I’m an asshole because of it, that’s cool too.
Well for a while I was thinking about the opposite end of this list. I’m not completely hate 24/7, I’ve got plenty of love to give. So I was thinking about the “Take a Punch in the Face List”, but I didn’t dig on the flow. I’m a go big or go home kind of guy so I upped the ante and I now present to you the “Take a Bullet For List”.
Now there are plenty of people I’d like to make the inaugural member of the list, but currently no one sticks out more than Angels pitcher, Jered Weaver.
I’ve always liked Jered Weaver. He’s a Cy Young type pitcher and I dig his attitude. I don’t know him personally, but he strikes be as a laid back guy off the field. You know what I mean, the kind of guy you can knock some beers back with, shoot the shit and listen to some good music. I also see him as being a solid wingman. Even though he lives in the shadow of his famous brother, he puts that behind him and hangs out like an Average Joe (unlike Frank Stallone or Don Swayze).
Just because I’d like to get loaded and pick up chicks with him isn’t the reason I’d take a bullet for him. If that was the case I’d be the personal bodyguards for Denis Leary, Duff McKegan, Michael Anthony or Corey Haim (oh wait, he’s dead). The reason Weaver is the inaugural member of the “Take a Bullet For List”, his what he did to earn his current six-game suspension.
Last Sunday’s Tigers/Angels game was a marquis matchup. The two leading American Lead Cy Young contenders, Justin Verlander and Weaver were set to go head to head in what was supposed to be a pitching duel. Instead it ended in suspension.
In the third inning Tigers outfielder Magglio Ordonez crushed a Weaver fastball down the right field line. Weaver felt that Ordonez admired his shot too much before running the bases, and Weaver let him know how he felt as Ordonez rounded the bases.
Tempers than cooled; at least for the time being.
Then the seventh inning arrived. Second baseman Carlos Guillen went yard off Weaver and then really admired his shot. He stood at home plate until the ball cleared the fence, then casually flipped his bat before hit home run trot.
Weaver didn’t take too kindly to kindly to Guillen showboating and again yelled as Guillen ran the bases. The next batter, catcher Mike Avila took the brunt of Weaver’s displeasure as he fired a 92 MPH fastball at his head. The ball didn’t hit Avila but Weaver and manager Mike Scioscia were immediately ejected.
While I don’t want to see Avila get injured due to taking one in the dome, I applaud Weaver for doing it. I’ve long been sick and tired of batters showing up pitchers by admiring their home runs. It’s disrespectful to the pitcher and disrespectful to the game. Twenty-five years ago what Weaver did would be common practice but that was before the pussification of Major League Baseball. It’s about time a modern pitcher attempted to put an end to the amateur shit stunts batters do when they hit a home run.
So Jered Weaver, I’m sure you made Bob Gibson proud, and for that I’d take a bullet for you. Don’t change a thing.
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